Officials told to introduce millets-based menu at 100 anganwadis

THE HANS INDIA |
Apr 25,2018 , 09:58 PM IST

Officials told to introduce millets-based menu at 100 anganwadis

Vikarabad: District Collector Sayyad Omar Jaleel has underlined the nutritional value of millets and asked District Welfare Officer Jyotsna to prepare an action plan to provide food prepared out of millets in 100 anganwadi centers. He promised necessary support to the Anganwadi centers in the supply of millets.

He was participating as chief guest in a programme held at Collectorate to provide food prepared out of millets to children and to distribute pressure cookers among 50 Anganwadi centers on Wednesday. The pressure cookers are provided by Secunderabad West Rotary Club under the aegis of the Grameen Mall Foundation. Food prepared out of millets is being looked down upon, he observed and termed it as improper.

Currently, food prepared out of millets is being served in 45 anganwadi centers so far, the facility would be introduced in 55 more Anganwadi centers from May onwards.
He insisted on officials to ensure that there should be perceptible change in the children’s health who are fed with foxtail millet compared to those children not fed with the foxtail millets. He laid emphasis on giving wide publicity to the food prepared out of foxtail millets. Referring to swelling number of diabetics, he said that the disease can be held under check provided the diabetics are fed with food prepared out of foxtail millets. The district administration will identify 100 farmers and supports them in cultivating millets.

He promised a financial support of Rs 8 lakh to woman farmers cooperative society to encourage them to make various food products using millets. District Joint Collector Aruna Kumari spoke. National millets research station principal scientists Dr Ratnavati and Dr Ravi Kumar, Tandur regional agricultural research station senior scientist Dr Sudhakar, Jayasankar Agriculture University Assistant professor Dr Satish, Anganwadi teachers and others took part.